Container and closure therefor



May 31, 1949; e. GLOCKER CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Dec. 4, 1945 Patented May 31, 1949 CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Gustave Glocker, Washington, D. 0.; Eugenie Glocker,

administratrix of said Gustave Glccker, deceased, assignor to Super-Seal Container Corporation, Washington, D. 0., a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1945, Serial No. 632,647

The present invention relates to a closure cap for sealing the mouth of a receptacle such as a bottle, jar, or the like. The invention more specifically pertains to the structural arrangement of the peripheral portion. of the cap and particularly the annular portion intermediate the relatively fiat top and the skirt.

It is an object of the invention to provide a depending skirt at the periphery of the cap so shaped at the juncture thereof with the top portion as to provide a channel therearound for accommodating a sealing composition and forming an abutment surface for limiting the displacement of the sealing composition during ap" plication of closure member on the receptacle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a closure cap of a simplified design which -may be readil manufactured and at the same time to provide a reliable arrangement for hermetically sealing the pouring opening of a jar, bottle or similar container.

Other objects and features of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing wherein a closure cap assembly embodying the invention is disclosed.

In the drawing:

Fig 1 is a plan view of a closure cap exhibiting the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of the cap taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing the association of the cap with a container;

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken from approximately the three oclock position in Fig. 1.

The closure cap herein disclosed pertains to the type adapted to remain in sealed association with the mouth of a container by the so-called vacuum seal method, In other words, the closure cap is maintained in closed position on the container by means of a greater pressure exerted on the exterior of the cap than that present within the receptacle. This pressure differential is obtained either by partially evacuating the container or by the condensation of hot vapors within the head space of the receptacle after the closure cap is in place so as to create a rarefied atmospheric condition therein. Thus, the greater pressure on the exterior of the cap maintains the closure member in sealed relation with the neck of the receptacle.

The present invention pertains to a closure cap 2 Claims. (Cl. 2l540) lower end portion of the skirt.

of such a type and includes a top portion l2 which may be formed of any suitable sheet material such as metal. In the embodiment illustrated the top portion [2 is relatively flat and generally disc-shaped. The cap may be formed of a suitable metal alloy and the peripheral portion of the disc i2 is turned upwardly and flares outwardly to provide a frusto-conical shaped surface H! as shown in Fig. 2. This wall I 4 forms one leg of a bead i8 around the peripheral portion of the capand the apex of the bead is accordingly above the plane of the disc-shaped top portion !2, The inner surface iii of the bead provides an annular abutment surface for a sealing composition as hereinafter described.

The upward slope of the frusto-conical wall l4 terminates at 18 and thereafter is turned downwardly substantially at right angles with respect to the surface 16. The sheet material depending from the top portion of the bead 18 forms a skirt 29 which flares outwardly and downwardly to provide a substantially frusto-conical annular skirt for the cap. The skirt 25! is thus formed from an integral portion of the sheet material and it is preferably arranged substantially parallel to an exterior surface 22 of the receptacle neck as shown in Fig. 2. The lower portion of the skirt is turned inwardly and upwardly to provide a substantially U-shaped bead 24 around the This bead materially reenforces the skirt portion and provides means for retaining an annular layer of sealing composition around the inner surface of the skirt.

The closure cap includes and carries a resilient and yieldable plastic composition for sealing the cap with reference to the receptacle neck shown at 25. Any suitable known compound may be employed as the sealing composition such as one containing about thirty per cent water, approximately tWenty-four per cent rubber, and the remainder of material fillers and protectives. The plasticity of such' a compound may be adjusted so as to provide some displacement of the material during the arrangement of a cap over the mouth of the receptacle and in response to rela tively slight pressure applied axially of the container opening. The plasticity and viscosity characteristics desirable in such a sealing composition and suitable for the purposes of the present invention are known in the art and disclosed in the patent to Dewey and Crocker No. 1,765,134. It is to be appreciated, however, that other known sealing compositions may be employed for providall of these elements.

ing the hermetically sealed juncture between the closure member and the receptacle.

The sealing composition is indicated generally at 26 and is retained around the inner surface of the skirt 20 by the channel formed between the abutment surface It and the inturned flange 24 around the lower end .of the skirt. Thus when the cap structure is arranged over the neck of a bottle or other receptacle, the somewhat plastic sealing composition engages the peripheral surface 22 and the sealin composition is displaced to provide a hermetically sealed juncture between the plastic compound andthe receptacle. The abutment surface I6 limits the upward displacement of the sealing compound.

The cap structure includes means for conveniently impairing the vacuum Within the head space of the receptacle so'that-the cap may be readily removed. This arrangement includes an opening 28 in the skirt :20 so that a pointed tool 1101' implement may belreadilyintroduced through the opening 2.8 for penetrating the sealing-composition and admitting air to the interior of the container. This equalization of the pressure perl-mits the cap to be readily removed from the neck of the receptacle. The cap structureincludes a protuberance 30 in the disc-shaped top portion l2 and this raisedportion '30 is in alignment with the opening 28 so that thetool maypass over the top edge 32 of the receptacle wall and completely penetrate the sealing composition.

The sealing material is somewhat plastic as hereinabove explained and the cap structure includes a tongue '34 adjacent the opening 28 for preventing the outwarddisplacement of the plastic composition when this material is arranged :within the skirt and when the cap is urged into a receptacle-closing position over the mouth of the container. Thetongue 34 may-pe formed from an :integral portion-of the skirt zfland upset slightly inwardly asshown'in Fig. 3. 'This tongue effectively prevents the escape-ofthe plastic material "through .the opening 128-and at the same time provides an arrangement whereby 'the vacuum breaking tool may be readily urged through the sealing composition to break-the vacuum-within the receptacle withoutthe necessity of puncturing an imperforate portioncof the skirt.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific structural details and with respect to particular types of :material both for the cap structure and the sealing compositionit will be understoodthat changesmay be'made in Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit-and scope of the inventionset forth in the :appended claims.

I claim: 1. A package consisting of a container having a neck terminating in .a mouth, a closure cap on the mouth of said container comprising, a discshaped top portion having adiameter substantacle, an annular bead carried by the peripheral portion of the disc-shaped top portion above the plane thereof and extending outwardly about the mouth of said receptacle, an annular frustoconical shaped skirt depending from said bead and arranged substantially at right angles to the inner opposite wall of :the bead and substantially parallel to an exterior surface of the receptacle neck whereby said closure cap may be seated without substantial pressure, an inwardly directed flange carried at the lower portion of the skirt, a sealing composition flowable under elevated temperature forming an annular layer of substantially uniform thickness about the inner surface of the skirt between the flange and the head, the inner face of said annular layer being substantially parallel to the exterior seating surface of said neck, and said opposite wall of said annular bead forming an abutment surface limiting the upward and inward displacement of the heat ,flowable sealing composition.

.2. A package consisting of a container having a neck terminating in a mouth, a closure caxplon the mouth of said container comprisingzadiscshaped top portion having a .diameterlat leastrl-as' great as the outer edge-oi .the receptacle neck and adapted to rest insubstantial-.contact with the walls defining the mouth ofrsaid receptacle, an inverted V-shaped bead ,around vthe -.discshaped portion with-the apex thereof abovetthe plane of the disc-shaped top portion and -extending outwardly about the mouth-of said receptacle, a frusto-conical shaped skirt depending from said bead substantially at a right angle ".to the inner wall of the bead and substantiallyzparallel to an exterior surface of the receptaclelneck, whereby said closurecap may be seated without substantial pressure, an inturned :flange around the lower end of the skirt and a sealing composition flowable under elevated temperature forming an annular layer of substantially uniform thickness aroundthe inner surface of the skirt, the inner face of said annular layer being substantially parallel to the exterior seating surface of saidncck, whereby-the inner Wall of saidbead forms an abutment surface limiting the upward and inward displacement of the heat :flowabl'e sealing composition upon applicationof the-cap .to the mouth of the receptacle.

GUSTAVE GLOCKER.

REFERENCES CITED ihe following references are of record in'rthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

